Panko Pesto Mozzarella Balls for the win! This cheesy baked appetizer is crazy addictive and totally tasty too!
panko pesto mozzarella balls
I took one of my go to appetizer recipes (these awesome baked mozzarella balls) and let some creamy pesto in on the fun!
The result was nothing short of amazing.
Snack on them right off the tray, serve them up at your next party or potluck, or even serve them on top of soup for a swoon-worthy experience of epic proportions!
Paul and I counted them to make sure one of us didn’t get more than the other. Somehow we ended up with an odd number of balls so we split the last one down the middle to be fair.
Is that a pretty good indicator of how awesome they were?
Put it this way — if we weren’t newlyweds we probably would have FOUGHT over them!
Ok maybe we did just a little.
Side Note – I fully need to reshoot these now that I’ve moved past my point and shoot camera days. If anything, it’s the perfect excuse to get more of these easy cheesy mozz balls in my face. YES PLEASE!
Let’s get our recipe on!
Panko Pesto Mozzarella Balls
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of mozzarella cheese, cubed
- 1.5 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp or so of Italian seasoning blend
- 1-2 egg whites (slightly beaten)
- approx 4oz Buitoni pesto
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup of flour
- olive oil cooking spray
TOOLS NEEDED
- Aluminum foil lined baking sheet/pan
- Wire baking/cooling rack
Instructions
- Cube and freeze your mozzarella 12-24 hours ahead of time.
- To freeze, lay cubes flat on a plate for 15-20 minutes and then move to a plastic baggie or covered bowl to freeze even further. This prevents sticking and also is a fabulous method for freezing fruit and veggies!
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Keep mozzarella cubes frozen until you have set up your ingredients into dipping bowls and preheated the oven.
- Combine seasoning blend and panko in a shallow bowl.
- Keep egg whites, flour, and pesto in separate bowls for dipping.
- Dipping order: Flour – Pesto – Egg Whites – Panko
- Move quickly so your balls don’t begin to defrost, lol!
- After each ball gets it’s turn in each bowl, place your completed mozzarella balls on your wire rack (the one you put on top of a aluminum foil lined cookie pan) after spraying/greasing the rack with olive oil.
- Once all your balls are in place (this is technical terminology people!) spray them with a light coat of your cooking spray and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside and soft and stretchy on the inside. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Seriously, make these balls. Stat.
Then you can make this bowl-o-amazingness:
If you get a chance to try these panko pesto mozzarella balls, let me know!
You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
Ummm so basically I never ever eat cheese (hello mostly vegan) but I would faaasure make an exception, just for this. If you made them for me, that is.
I noticed you crossed out spicy…well…you know. No mention of Alec Baldwin, and the infamous NPR Schwetty…well…you know? For shame…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXSyzeVWueI
Although I will say, that looks mighty tasty. Newlywed or not, I’d fight over that last piece!
And my favorite way to eat cheese?? Melted, gooey, and baked. Usually on top of a meal.
HOLY yum! these look delic. and i just love the snl video… hiiiilarious!
Holy crap, these look freakin’ amazing!
Oh this looks so good. My favorite picture is the one with the cheese oozing out. YUM! My friend was just telling me about a fried mozzarella bruschetta she made last night. As if that didn’t make me hungry enough, now I see these. Thanks for sharing, visiting from Flaunt it Friday.
Jen
Scissors & Spatulas
I hate it when my balls defrost too fast. 😉
These look AMAZING! Oh my gosh… all that melty cheese… so good!
Wow that looks amazing. I LOVE mozzarella and pesto…I am pretty sure I would have eaten ALL of them.
I am obsessed with Pesto.
Well, yum, that pretty much rocks my world. Love of mozzerella? Check. Love of pesto? Check. Love of warm gooey cheesey pesto? Triple check!
-poptart (teehee)
haaaaaa… Jason and I are the same way with counting to be even… I think it’s a mix of being NERDS and eating really great food! 🙂
these look SO good… I want them Right Now. love the pesto addition.
totally need to make these for my next partay 🙂
This looks SO good! And I love your black and white plates!!
Okay those look so yummy, I’m definitely going to try!
hahaha. I SO wanted to post that video when I did my guest post on oreo balls, pb pretzel balls, and rum balls on whatkatie’sbaking and forgot about it. I’m so glad you did!
Well…as you know..I don’t eat cheese, but that doesn’t make this recipe any less fun. I love the tips on freezing fruits and veggies. I actually took a hair dryer to a clump of frozen strawberries this morning.
Thats one of my fave SNL clips!
Um…yummy!!!! I always get hungry over here…haha!!! Looks and sounds delish!
Happy THursday gurl! xxx
I was praying that you would featured the “Schweaty Balls” SNL clip at the end of this post.
You never disappoint.
Haha.
Balls.
P.S. I like your black and white plate.
http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
Twitter: @GlamKitten88
All your recipes are making me hungry!!!! hehehe
As soon as I saw that picture with the melty cheese, I knew this was a recipe I need to try! YUM.
I JUST ate dinner, but I think I’m hungry again! HOLY YUM!!!
Well, those look pretty awesome. I love anything with pesto. Especially mozzarella.
NOM + OMG= NOMG= your balls :p lol
These look amazing! Better than anything served at a restaurant, my hubby would love these. Thanks!
oh em geeee! these look amazing! like fancy cheese curds. i can’t wait to make these for brad!
Oh man…this is a must try! Thanks for sharing!
Holy yumminess! They look so good! I need one. Or two. Or three. Like, now.
Ok – this has to be one of the most delicious things I have seen all day…and I have been looking…ALOT!! 🙂 You get extra points for the SNL skit too!! If you get a sec, pop on over to Foodie Friday and link up! Oh, and I found you st Fingerprints on the Fridge 🙂
Yeah, this recipe got IMed to the chef fast!
I’ll be needing some of that… you can make me some for my birthday! 😉
What a fun idea! I’ll have to do this sometime 🙂 I’m about to check out the mozzarella recipe and I’m definitely addicted!!
Yeah, this recipe got IMed to the chef fast!
Oh my gosh!!! These look so amazing!
omygosh! Making these for sure! You are so good to share with each other We would have done that too….maybe. 🙂
LOL, that was one of SNL’s best skits! I bookmarked this, the highest compliment a blogger gets, those balls look yummy!. Visiting from motivate me Monday!
Carol
Those make me hungry and I JUST ate. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Holy yumminess! They look so good! I need one. Or two. Or three. Like, now.
Anything involving cheese is amazing. Anything involving pesto is fantastic. This? Combining both? I cannot WAIT to try!
hiya , yummmmmmmmy i will try these tomorrow for the starter at mt mothrs day dinner , thank you for sharing
xmaggiex
omg those look so good!!! I love anything pesto 🙂
Oh my gosh, these look absolutely AMAZING!!
These look so much better than mine!!
i absolutely love Panko crumbs 🙂 i can hardly cook, but in the few dishes i know how to cook i use them 🙂 hope u have a great weekend!
<3 megan
A Suitcase and Stilettos
These look AMAZING! I always use Panko breadcrumbs as my go to breadcrumbs when I bake! I will most definitely have to try making this very soon!
OMG these look delicious!!
I am obsessed with Pesto. This sounds amazing!!!
Oh man…this is a must try! Thanks for sharing!
How did I miss this on Jesica’s site? I love cheese :
I hadn’t seen that SNL before – very funny! Your panko cheese balls look incredible 🙂 XOL
Um I heart pesto AND you! What a great idea! I bet I could make them gluten free if I find the right kind of GF breadcrumbs. And I love that SNL skit – such a classic.
So I definitely went yesterday and got the hot chili sauce you told me about and I can’t wait to try it. Mozzarella is my favorite, balls, sticks, strings, I don’t care the form just give me some cheese! Fried and coated in panko is even better!
These look so good! I must try this soon!
I gotta say….I giggled thru this whole tutorial. Then I saw the video posted at the bottom and cracked up even more. It is one of my FAVS from SNL!
Wow. I don’t even eat dairy, but those look…just wow. I’m going to make them for my husband. So that he appreciates me and thanks me for marrying him.
I love panko, this recipe would be a hit with my grandchildren, yum!!! Hugs and happy Friday
These look AMAZING! Oh my gosh… all that melty cheese… so good!
This looks awesome, it makes me feel like eating pizza tonight! 🙂
xoxo,
Addie
The Cat Hag
om nom nom, that looks so great! i’m definitely going to try these sometime soon 🙂
i love cheese in all shapes and sizes and if i weren’t trying to lose weight i would probably put it on everything i eat! i think my favorite cheese is mozzarella slices eaten with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar!
Wow that looks amazing. I LOVE mozzarella and pesto…I am pretty sure I would have eaten ALL of them.
This looks amazing (except for the Pesto – I’m allergic to the nuts) – but wow. I’m so glad I am catching up with my blog reading, or I would have missed this!! ~Lori
I hate it when my balls defrost too fast. 😉
Haha! That was the first time I’ve ever seen that video! Hilarious! I love me a young Alec Baldwin!
“Move quickly so your balls don’t begin to defrost.” <- because no one likes soggy balls! Bahaha!
Seriously, it’s almost 1am and now I am craving balls! Hahaha!
yumyumyum! another delicious post!
Cheesy. I am going to have to recreate this recepie. Maybe even my bf will try it. Right now he thinks that cheese is a ‘girl’ thing. Couldn’t be more wrong!
oh em geeee! these look amazing! like fancy cheese curds. i can’t wait to make these for brad!
These look amazing! Better than anything served at a restaurant, my hubby would love these. Thanks!
oh these look sooooooo sooo good!!! i definately want to try this one when i go back home!!!! cheese + breadcrumbs = huge success !!!
Um, I am drooling. Those look like the best comfort food EVER.
OMG I laughed so hard.. Those Cheese Balls look delicious..
These look sinfully delicious!
hehehe, you said balls.
Yum!! These would be such a good party appetizer!
cheese, pesto, panko…oh yes you’re speaking my language!
i could eat those cheesy balls all day!!! no really i could so uh maybe making those is a bad idea. nah i can’t resist!
HOLY BALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, aware that the line above is in all caps and lots of exclaimation marks but this receipe deserves it. Touche, girlfriend!
yum! these look sooooooooooo delicious!
my favorite way to eat cheese? um…anyway? is that a way? haha.
Oooh, those look so good!
I’d have to say my favorite way to have cheese is fried! But I think I’m going to have to try this way soon!
I remember that sweaty balls episode…too funny. They really look good.
Mmmm… these looks so good! Another great recipe for me to try 🙂
XOXO
These look yummy!
You know I have been wanting to do the WIAW for three weeks now, I remember about it until Tuesday and then my mind goes completely blank. I am setting a reminder for myself, I am doing it next week.
ive never been a huge fan of mozzerella sticks.. maybe i need to give them another shot! =) cuz these look so good!
Oh this looks so good. My favorite picture is the one with the cheese oozing out. YUM! My friend was just telling me about a fried mozzarella bruschetta she made last night. As if that didn’t make me hungry enough, now I see these. Thanks for sharing, visiting from Flaunt it Friday.
Jen
Scissors & Spatulas
Thanks for the shout out girlie! these look ammmazzzinnnggg!
YUM!
Alright, so I think I like you even more for posting the Schwetty Balls video! I posted a muffin recipe a few weeks ago and referenced the Betty White version of this NPR skit – also a good one! 🙂
NOM + OMG= NOMG= your balls :p lol
omg these are out of this WORLD!! I love me some cheese sticks, but then you go and add pesto to them?? GENIUS I say!! Totally bookmarking this one!
Oh YUM!!! Yay for a new idea! Thanks for posting 🙂
I JUST ate dinner, but I think I’m hungry again! HOLY YUM!!!
Wow, that looks SO yummy!
Holy crap, these look freakin’ amazing!
Well, those look pretty awesome. I love anything with pesto. Especially mozzarella.
I have been on a cheese kick all this week – like it’s all I want to eat. A bad week for it, since I should be eating more carbs…
I LOVE that SNL clip. I actually watched it for the first time when I was in high school with my best friend’s dad. I was totally uncomfortable the whole time, thinking that he was going to be offended!
All your recipes are making me hungry!!!! hehehe
mmmmm I love mozz sticks and havent had them in forev! These look amazing!
Oh yes. I need these in my life. Anything cheesy is a clear winner.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!!
(do you make your own pesto, or do you recommend a particular premade kind?)
O M G
I gained 5 lbs looks at that but it looks SO GOOD.
5 lbs because I’d eat the whole thing, mind you.
As soon as I saw that picture with the melty cheese, I knew this was a recipe I need to try! YUM.
Please move in and feed me. I want these NOW!!!!
Love the schwetty balls!!
Holy wow that looks amazing! I could practically taste them through the screen. I have to make this ASAP, but maybe I’ll do it when the husband isn’t around so I can have more for me.
The balls look so freakin good 😉 I think pesto panko balls would be my favorite way to eat cheese!! I love me some cheese fondue too. And grilled cheese…and nachos. Don’t get me started! hahaha
OMG, this looks so so yummy! And HAHA about Schwetty Balls! Too funny!
hot damn, those mozz balls looks AWESOME
Is there anything better than melted mozzarella?! These look fab. Oh and that’s my fave SNL skit of all time!
OMG, these look amazing! And make me REALLY wish that we ate cheese! Maybe we’ll have to make an exception 😉
I’ve never had panko before! Hm…my favorite way to eat cheese is probably in solid chunks or slices (wow that sounds gross!) haha!
Um…yummy!!!! I always get hungry over here…haha!!! Looks and sounds delish!
Happy THursday gurl! xxx
This looks AMAZING!
My favorite way to eat cheese is often by itself, or on a thin cracker. Really, ANYWAY will do!
Those look delicious! 😀
hahaha. I SO wanted to post that video when I did my guest post on oreo balls, pb pretzel balls, and rum balls on whatkatie’sbaking and forgot about it. I’m so glad you did!
YUM!!!! i seriously want to eat these right now!!!!
Well…as you know..I don’t eat cheese, but that doesn’t make this recipe any less fun. I love the tips on freezing fruits and veggies. I actually took a hair dryer to a clump of frozen strawberries this morning.
Thats one of my fave SNL clips!
Cheeeeeeese!
I do love a good set of balls…
yum!
Okay those look so yummy, I’m definitely going to try!
Well don`t these just look heavenly! Yum!
xo
This looks SO good! And I love your black and white plates!!
This post is one giant “That’s what she said” joke waiting to happen. Awesome 🙂
Excuse me while I clean up the drool from my keyboard! I love eating cheese in any form, but most especially when it’s melted 🙂
OH yah. This looks amazing. I’m making these on Sunday. My family will thank me.
totally need to make these for my next partay 🙂
haaaaaa… Jason and I are the same way with counting to be even… I think it’s a mix of being NERDS and eating really great food! 🙂
these look SO good… I want them Right Now. love the pesto addition.
ok screw this meal…I just want that black and white plate! holy crap that is the cutest thing ever WHERE did you get that!?!
ok back to the meal…that looks amaaaazing. there is nothing better than mozzerella cheese. so are these similar to a mozzerella stick but just a ball?
i liked all of your ball references..especially the frozen ball reference. i laughed out loud lol
can you be my chef? come back to your roots in MA and lets make delicious food together and be foodies
xoxox
Well, yum, that pretty much rocks my world. Love of mozzerella? Check. Love of pesto? Check. Love of warm gooey cheesey pesto? Triple check!
-poptart (teehee)
That looks so good. Another great recipe to try!